Going to Monaco was not a vacation for me. It was growth. I love growth, and I see life as a process of personal development, a constant opportunity to learn something new. Everything around us is always changing, science keeps advancing, and the field I work in as a skincare and beauty expert is evolving incredibly fast. In my work with clients and in my trainings, I always want to share the latest knowledge on how to care for yourself in a way that helps you stay youthful and healthy for as long as possible.
One of the world’s most prestigious aesthetic medicine congresses was taking place in Monaco, and over the course of three days I had the chance to listen to dozens of leading scientists and specialists in the field. It was incredibly inspiring, and I came back with so much information, so many thoughts, and so many ideas that I really want to share with others.
When a trip happens in the middle of preparation
When you are in the middle of an intense preparation period, any kind of travel can be disruptive. Consistency and routine is incredibly important. You have to stay on top of your nutrition and get your training done. Travel throws all of that off. But I had decided in advance that I would adjust those five days in a way that would not change anything dramatically.
Unfortunately, I could not do my dance training there. I did bring my dance shoes with me and thought I might practice steps or at least turns in the hotel room, but that turned out to be impossible. The room was tiny, and the sound of footsteps carried easily. If I had started doing turns in heels in there, it would have become a problem for the whole hotel.
When I travel, though, I always bring workout clothes and sneakers, and before I leave, I figure out what kind of movement I can do in that place. For example, whether the hotel has a gym. This time it did not. But because I was staying in Nice, where I feel at home and where my absolute favorite running route is on the Promenade des Anglais, the lack of a gym did not bother me. Given the beautiful climate there, I already knew that if possible, a morning run would be part of my routine.
30,000 steps, morning runs, and keeping a routine while traveling
Because I was going back and forth between Nice and Monaco every day, I ended up walking a lot. One of the biggest challenges for me in Estonia is that because of work and responsibilities with my children, I am constantly moving quickly from one place to another by car. That means I get very few steps in during the day. If I did not train, my daily movement level would be far too low.
That is why I do not think people should always assume that working out every day is something extreme. Sometimes it is simply what ensures a minimum level of necessary daily activity. Before this trip, I already knew I would be getting a lot of steps in, so my body would be more active than usual anyway. There was even one day in Nice when I hit 30,000 steps, including a 9-kilometer morning run.
What I really want to emphasize is that staying in good physical shape does not necessarily mean going to a specific workout class. If someone has a physically active job or walks a lot, movement is already built into the day. But if your work is mostly sedentary, then a workout becomes essential because it gives you at least some real physical activity.
People often do not believe me when I say that there was a five-year period when I was not working out at all, back when I had two very young children one after the other. I have really only been back in a training rhythm for almost three years now. But even during those years, I stayed in good shape. I did that simply by walking most places. I even used to deliver products to clients with a baby stroller.
Not a single croissant
My days were still very full, because I spent long hours at the conference, and even getting there and back took a big part of the day. Still, I woke up early and went for a run most mornings. After that came my morning beauty routine. And honestly, it felt refreshing for a change to only have to take care of my own morning routine. I had brought different skincare options with me, and after my run, I enjoyed using eye masks and beauty ampoules so I could stay as fresh as possible throughout the long day.
At breakfast, I made healthy choices, and believe it or not, I did not eat a single croissant during the whole trip, even though they are absolutely heavenly there. I had fruit, yogurt, eggs, and lean ham. And while I was out and about, I usually had a piece of fruit in my bag as well.
Before leaving Estonia, I had also packed tube-style protein yogurts, which I love as a quick snack and which are incredibly convenient for travel because of the packaging. I brought them in a cooler bag in my suitcase, so I had useful food waiting for me in the hotel room refrigerator in case of emergency hunger.
To eat well throughout the day, some preparation is necessary. If you have not prepared anything and you do not have something healthy on hand just in case, then that moment comes when you are starving, your blood sugar has crashed, and you are ready to eat literally anything just to feel better. A little planning is the key.
Even so, this whole approach is still only half as intense as my bikini fitness preparation used to be. Back then I prepped my food, weighed everything, packed it into containers, and carried it around with me everywhere. I cannot and do not want to do that anymore. But I have created a simpler system that works for me. Thankfully, this preparation does not require me to change my body in any extreme way. Both Martin and Marius have told me that my physical shape already looks perfectly fine. Thank God.
Alcohol does not fit into this rhythm
I had a very clear plan for the trip: keep moving, run if possible, and stay on track with food. One thing I had decided firmly in advance was that I would not drink alcohol. When I am training under a heavy load and also paying close attention to nutrition, neither wine nor even the best sparkling drinks work for me. They give me terrible headaches. On top of that, alcohol increases my appetite, which makes it harder to eat less.
The truth is that processing alcohol is already a burden on the body. It also stops fat-burning processes in the body. So if someone wants to get into shape, limiting alcohol is definitely a good idea.
What else the trip taught me
When I ate out, I often went for my favorite, Salade Niçoise, and I would eat a big portion of it in the evening with absolutely no guilt. It is one of my favorite salads in the world, and where else should you eat it if not in Nice?
And by the way, you can always eat as much salad and vegetables as you want. Some leafy salads actually require more calories to digest than they provide. But what you do need to pay attention to is the dressing, because that is often what changes the nutritional value of a salad the most. Dressings are often very high in fat and can add a lot of calories. If you drown a green salad in dressing, then it is no longer diet food. Caesar salad is definitely not something I would recommend during a fat-loss phase.
At home, I have created lighter dressings myself. When you make things yourself, it is much easier to control the ingredients. I have even come up with recipes that make dressings significantly lower in fat while still keeping them flavorful. When eating out, I always recommend asking for the dressing on the side. That way, you can use much less of it.
At the same time, it is not wise to become too rigid, because when you are not the one organizing the trip, there are always factors outside your control. If you have a strict plan in your head and then cannot follow it, it creates unnecessary stress. So you have to be ready to adapt to the situation and make the best choice from whatever options are available.
This time, it worked very well for me that I was traveling alone and did not have business partners with me outside of conference hours. That meant I could follow my own rhythm and go to bed at a normal time. There were no required dinners or social events that would have disrupted my preparation.One evening, I even managed to get a ticket to the opera house in Nice, where the ballet Après la pluie was premiering, set to Arvo Pärt’s legendary composition Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten. I am a huge fan of opera and classical music. I do not watch ballet as often, but right now it was actually very useful for me. I found myself watching the turnout in the dancers’ legs and the movement of their arms. The atmosphere in the opera house itself was classically grand. And naturally, the performance was sold out. What made it even more unbelievable was that I got a second-row ticket for only 37 euros. Compared to Estonian prices, that is almost unreal.
What I want to share from Monaco
I came back with so many thoughts that I could talk about them for hours, but I will share a few of the most important ones here.
The human being is one whole. Everything in the body is connected. Our inner condition and health show in our appearance. Beautiful skin reflects inner well-being. Very often, the foundation of health and physical well-being lies in the microbiome, in the gut, where the balance of bacteria affects overall health.
Because this was a conference focused on aesthetic medicine, there was a strong emphasis on the idea that beautiful skin and a healthy appearance start from within. The condition of our cells is visible on our skin, which is the largest and only visible organ we have. Everything we eat affects our cells. Through food and supplements, we can influence the health and well-being of those cells.
Longevity was a huge topic there, and the rooms for those lectures were so full that at one point I could barely get through the door and had to listen while standing in a crowd. But longevity is not primarily about adding years to life, even though of course a healthy lifestyle does help people live longer. It is more about adding life to your years and improving quality of life.
If we are talking about looking youthful for as long as possible and preventing premature aging, then we have to look at the whole lifestyle. Food, movement, recovery, and sleep are all connected, and they all influence one another. Science has now advanced to the point where we can influence cells to function more like they did when we were younger. We can affect the mitochondria, the powerhouses of the cells. We can activate communication inside the cells so that their processes become more active. That can be done through beauty treatments as well as skincare. But if the person themselves is not cooperating and their lifestyle is working against that process, then miracles are not possible.
People talk a lot about sleep, and it truly is essential for recovery. One interesting fact is that collagen production in the body takes place at night, between 10:00 PM and 2:00 AM. That means ideally you should be asleep during that window. And honestly, that is something I personally find very hard to follow. At 10:00 PM I often still have so many things left to do. But if you want maximum skin elasticity, which depends on enough collagen, then you really should be asleep by 10:00.
I was also deeply affected by a presentation from a French clinical psychologist about how distorted the modern idea of beauty has become for so many people. People see edited images on social media and start believing that is reality and that it is something they should be striving for. Images of influencers with “perfect” features and bodies create a longing for something that is actually unattainable, and that can lead to depression and even suicidal thoughts.
Human beings were not created to be perfect. There is beauty in individuality, and imperfection is beautiful. Even our facial sides are different from one another. There is no such thing as one hand, one leg, or one nose that is the most beautiful. A human being is a whole, and every person is special and beautiful in their own way. But through lifestyle, we can turn what we have been given into the best possible version of ourselves.
One of the strongest messages I took away was that people should spend the time they currently use editing their photos on working on themselves and their own growth instead. After that, I felt much freer posting stories on my social media without worrying about how I might look to others. This is me, and I do not have to be perfect. I do not want to create the illusion that I am some kind of superhuman. Filters often end up making people look ridiculous anyway.
After a break, you simply have to start again
After any pause, the only real answer is to start again right away so the break does not stretch on even longer. As soon as I got back to Estonia, I went for a run the very next day and started practicing dance again. But I was so tired.
What surprised me most was that both my body and my mind felt completely exhausted, even though I thought I had maintained a fairly healthy rhythm while traveling. I think the conference itself was emotionally draining, and the first two days back in the studio were very difficult. When I put my dance shoes on, it felt as if I had never worn them before. Everything felt painful and uncomfortable. Every dance step felt stiff, and I was genuinely worried.
It is strange how the body can lose its fluidity and its plasticity so quickly. Even though I still remembered the choreography, all my movements felt rigid. There was no flow at all. It felt really, really bad. And the shoes were almost unbearable. So I decided to ease myself back into dance more gently. I danced in socks, and that immediately made my body move more beautifully again. I gave myself time to adjust. Thankfully, there were still two weeks left.
Every day feels different
That is absolutely part of this journey. The days are so different. One day, I leave training feeling very positive, feeling that something clicked and that real progress happened. Another day, I am reminded that I am still at the very beginning of this path. That I am still so awkward.
Of course, I follow the top dancers of the world on social media, and naturally, I want to be like them. Rationally, I know that is not realistic right now. But I still want to be able to get there. One day, I really do hope to be at a very high level. I just have to accept that every new thing takes time.
When I have one of those low moments, I do feel sad. Especially when I watch clips of myself dancing and see all the mistakes. Then I gather myself, and the next day I go back and practice again. We all know that practice is what creates mastery.
April 18 is not the finish line
What I actually love is that this journey is so long. Right now I am only on my second dance after pasodoble. In Latin competition, there are five dances in total. That means one dance after another will be added over time, and refining each one can continue throughout an entire dance life. You can always become better. Even the greatest dance champion in the world can still dance better.
That is why I am happy that April 18 is not an ending. It is simply one point on the path, the moment I will dance my second dance, cha-cha-cha. After that come samba, rumba, and jive.
What this week taught me
This week, Martin and I managed to do three training sessions, and one of them was photographed by Maksim Toome. What I learned is that even when some parts are already getting better, there are still sections of the routine that I am not happy with at all.
At this stage, I have to keep practicing physically as much as I can, but at the same time I also need to build the character I want to bring to the stage. Right now, my eyes are still too focused on the map of the steps I have to execute. But that is not what the audience wants to see.
Because the performance with Marius is a show performance, it has to be a story, a narrative. It cannot be just one technically correct dance step after another. We have to create something the audience enjoys watching, something that carries emotion and meaning, not just correct steps.
Marius, the music, and trust
When Marius and I met a few weeks ago, he already had a clear vision for the whole performance. He knew what kind of impression we needed to leave on the audience and what kind of emotion we should create. He also suggested a couple of songs we could dance to. Then it was up to me to decide whether I could connect with one of them. Music is incredibly important in dance. It is very hard for me to dance to music I do not truly like. Thankfully, one of the songs felt very right to me.
Still, we have not yet rehearsed to that music in Martin’s training sessions. We will be starting that soon. Marius arrives only a few days before the World Cup stage and our performance, so we will probably only have two rehearsal days together. I honestly have no idea how our energies will match or how he will handle leading me. Dancing with Martin has become something safe for me. We will see how different it feels to dance with Marius. I am trying not to worry in advance and instead trust that everything will unfold the way it is meant to. I have to trust my path. If you know you gave your best, then there is nothing to blame yourself for. I trust life.
Next week, I hope Martin and I can work on the parts of the routine that still feel uncertain. I need to get the steps into muscle memory. Right now, the moment my mind is not fully focused on a step, I instantly forget where to go and what to do. The second my attention shifts, the steps are gone. There is still a lot of development I need on many levels.
Two weeks left, and still so much to do
Next week, we are also planning to capture one of my gym sessions. In addition to the steps and dance technique, I need to keep my whole body toned and strong. I am also continuing with running so I can maintain both stamina and fat-burning. Visually, I still want to improve my shape at least a little over the next two weeks.
The dress preparations are also fully underway. This week I trained in new practice clothes that Ele made especially for me. Based on how those looked on my body, Gerli and I were also able to assess what cut might work best for my performance dress. The rule is always the same: highlight what deserves to be highlighted and soften what does not. Bring out the strengths and hide the weaker points. The stones for decoration have already been ordered, and Gerli is now preparing different fringe details and pearl chains. My whole look has to give me the feeling that I can give my maximum in the dance.
Come experience the evening for yourself
I want to once again invite everyone to come and see this event. A world-class DanceSport event is being brought right to our home audience, and the competition will feature top dancers from Estonia and from around the world across different age categories. And for anyone who does not already know, some of our Estonian couples spend most weeks competing in major international events and are ranked very high in the world standings. The whole event will also be organized with real elegance.
Come spend an evening surrounded by beauty and top-level sport. My performance with five-time world champion Marius Andrei Balan will take place on Saturday, April 18, at the opening of the gala program at 5:00 PM, where we will introduce the new PRO AM DanceSport category to Estonia. Tickets are available through Piletilevi, and you can continue following my journey on Instagram at @evelinainomae.